What We Think: Rain barrel program is a win-win

The Lafayette Utilities System's Rain Barrel program has had a promising start and is gaining momentum with homeowners in Lafayette.

The aim of the program is to conserve water while helping customers save money on their monthly water bills.

It's hard to see a downside to the program, which is still in its infancy It's commendable that LUS is doing something that's good for the environment and the pocketbook.

It started last year with a pilot program that put food-grade barrels into the hands - or more specifically, the yards - of 150 LUS water customers. The idea was to collect rainwater to be used for watering lawns and flower and vegetable gardens and for washing cars and tools, filling fish ponds and other outdoor uses.

The city purchased the barrels from Bruce Foods at $5 each and retrofitted each with a spigot. A hose can be attached. Each barrel has an overflow valve and an aluminum mesh cover to keep the barrels from becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

The idea is to place them under gutters or at the low point of the roof to collect rainwater.

Once there is water in the barrel, gravity provides pressure to push the water through the hose, although there is not enough force to power a sprinkler.

Lisa Mahoney, conservation specialist for LUS, said 500 gallons of water can run off a 1,000-square-foot roof during a rainstorm that delivers an inch of water to the ground.

Participants in the pilot program were so pleased with the system they asked for more barrels.

News of the rain barrels spread, mostly through word of mouth, Mahoney said.

Encouraged by the response, LUS began taking orders for more of the barrels. Before the recent deadline, the city received 420 orders.

For the permanent program, instead of makeshift containers, the 55-gallon barrels will be custom-made in three colors by Upcycle Products, an Illinois company.

The food-grade barrels sell for $54 retail, but LUS is paying more than half the cost and offering the barrels to customers for $26 per barrel.

Unfortunately, the program is closed for the time being, but Mahoney said the city probably will open it up again next year at this time.

She said anyone who is interested can be put on an email list to be notified the next time the program opens up again. Just send a message to rainbarrel@lus.org.

It may seem a bit odd that a company that sells a service - like water - would give its customers a way to spend less on that service.

There are a couple of reasons LUS launched the program, Mahoney said. One of them is to make customers happy. But there's more.

"We want to make sure we're using our resources wisely," she said.

We think it's a great idea and commend LUS for offering the program.

Four hundred and twenty barrels may not seem like much in a city this size, but it could be an important step in reducing water use and conserving a natural resource.

And we hope that as people see the barrels sprouting in their neighbors' yards, they will be inspired to take part in the program next year.

It might even serve as a model for other communities in the area.

It is one way we can all become better stewards of our environment while saving a few bucks each month. And that's a win-win.

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What We Think: Rain barrel program is a win-win

The Lafayette Utilities System's Rain Barrel program has had a promising start and is gaining momentum with homeowners in Lafayette.The aim of the program is to conserve water while helping